TRIGGER WARNING!
This website contains poetry and true stories about trauma, personality disorders, suicidal thoughts, self-harming, depression and other significant mental health issues, as well as personal stories of emotional neglect and abuse, which some people might find upsetting.
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Poetry for Mental Health
Supporting people around the world through words and poetry.
"Poetry for Mental Health has supported thousands of people through words and poetry! No matter what your age, background and experience, culture, nationality, or identity; whether an established writer with many published titles to your credit, or an aspiring poet who has never written a word of poetry in your life, our philosophy here is to embrace, welcome and support everyone, everywhere suffering from mental health challenges, and help you cope through words and poetry."
About ...
ROBIN BARRATT - Founder POETRY FOR MENTAL HEALTH
"I formed
Poetry for Mental Health at the outbreak of COVID, as a way of helping people cope mentally through lockdown and the pandemic by inspiring them to write poetry. Six years, seven books (just started working on our eighth), many hundreds of poets, and many thousands of pieces of poetry later,
Poetry for Mental Health
is still inspiring people to write poetry for positive mental health! And with almost 1900 visitors for the month of Jan, 2026, it
is now probably the largest and most visited website of its kind on the net!"
COMING SOON ... OUR NEXT ANTHOLOGY!
PTSD - Post-traumatic Stress Disorder
A collection of personal stories and poetry about life and living with PTSD.
Publication date:
April 2026.
NEW - This Week's Featured Poetry (x4)
Week commencing Monday 06th April, 2026.
THE OLDER THE NEWER
By Dr Patapia Tzotzoli
Opening up
To what once was unknown,
The schism in the brain,
The birth of two parts,
The older, the newer,
Emerge in this once-white painting.
Breathing in
What once was distant,
The division in the heart,
The creation of two parts,
The older, the newer,
Defines this once sinless melody.
Can you reach out to me,
Put your hands into the gap,
The older, the newer,
Rip out the heart,
And give it to the people?
ABOUT PATAPIA:
Dr Patapia Tzotzoli is a UK-trained, HCPC-registered Clinical Psychologist with over 20 years of experience. She is the Director of My Psychology Clinic, where she offers one-to-one online therapy tailored to a select clientele, and the Founder of My Triage Network, where she provides free consultations and personalised introductions to trusted UK-based mental health professionals. She is also the author of Seventeen Shots of Life in Five Acts, a poetry collection written over two decades to inspire self-healing and personal growth.
Facebook: @DrPatapia
Instagram: @DrPatapia
MY CANVAS, AN ART SHOW
By Chris Gallegos
I found myself alone,
Chilled to the bone,
Unable to turn the radio on.
My workings disclosed—
By a man I once consoled.
I watched as his compassion broke,
As I carried a shame I'd never known;
The pain draped over me,
Like brushstrokes.
My canvas, an art show.
Every touch was theft;
Every glance, a blow.
My body on display—
A portrait I was embarrassed to show.
Silence framed the scene,
Cracks where trust had been.
The spectators would never know
The cost it took to cope.
And still, the art piece hangs:
Shadows stitched with ache,
Each swath a cruel reminder—
Of what was lost, impossible to replicate.
A PRAYER FROM THE RIVER’S EDGE
by Rich Orloff
It’s taken me far too long to realize
Detachment isn’t repression
Or suppression
Or pushing away
Detachment is simply noting
Perhaps with curiosity
As if entertaining a thought or feeling
But not asking it to move in
There goes hate floating by
There goes fear
There goes a pain disguised as a thought
There goes an assumption I’ve never acknowledged before
I see happiness flowing by
And I want to hold onto it desperately
But I let the happiness float on
Detachment takes more courage than I thought
All these feelings are human
And as long as I don’t put a dam on the river
I am more than any moment flowing through me
I am as large as the river itself
ABOUT RICH: Rich writes both poems and plays. His poems have been published internationally, presented at churches and synagogues, performed in theaters and schools, and spoken at events both lofty and intimate. Each week Rich sends out a spiritually infused poem to a readership of over 2000 ministers, rabbis, spiritual leaders and friends. Rich’s plays (mostly comedies) have had over 2400 productions on six continents – and a staged reading in Antarctica.
ABANDONED WOODS
By Kathleen Chamberlin
I thread through the thicket of thoughts long neglected
Twisting and turning from side to side, weaving my way.
Sweat beads across my shoulders, slides down my back,
A reminder of how arduous a journey this has been
From when I first set out til now.
Pausing, I push my hair from my eyes,
I gaze around in wonder:
Sweet yearnings surround me, sighing softly,
The seductive sounds of youth startle me,
So innocent and unsuspecting!
So many surrendered or stifled,
Succumbing to the oppressive heat of inevitability.
Other more ominous images press in
They loom overhead with aching loneliness,
Littered with the remnants
Of broken dreams and a bruised heart.
Thousands of thorns rake my body
Sharp reminders
Of all those things that were and never more can be,
Of all those that were stillborn, yet still so sharply sting.
Lots more Featured Poetry here:
Our Books
Personal Journeys
In their own words, writers and poets write about their own personal journey with mental health.
Interviews
Ten amazing writers and poets talking about their own personal journey with mental health.
Featured Poets
Featuring poets from around the world, with up to six pieces of their work, and a little about the author and the stories behind their work.
And lots more ...
Featured Books
Promoting poetry books and publications.
And lots more ...
Other ...
Directory of Support Services
Charities, groups and organisations worldwide offering mental health help and support to people in crisis.
Mental Health First Aid
Identifying warning signs of common mental health crisis, and how to guide a person towards safety and appropriate help.
Newsletter - What's new at Poetry for Mental Health - March 2026
What's new at Poetry for Mental Health - March 2026.
Download 0.8 MB pdf file
Send us your name and email address and we'll keep you updated with what's new at
Poetry for Mental Health, plus calls for submissions for our titles and website. IMPORTANT: we'll never pass your details onto anyone else ... ever!
Publishing Services
We publish books for other people too!!!
Would you like to see your poetry collection published as a paperback and Kindle, and available for other people to read around the world? Prices start from just £150.00 for a chapbook / short collection. Click on the link for more info. Plus Promoting Your Book- information and advice for promoting and marketing your book. We have published over 100 books for other people. Just a few examples below:
We have published over 100 books for other people. Just a few examples below:
NOTE ON CONTRIBUTIONS: We publish mental health poetry from around the world, and for a number contributors to this website, English is not their first language. Unlike some other platforms, we don't heavily edit a poet's own work (if we did, it would then not be their own work!), so please focus on a poet's messages and meanings, and not necessarily on any grammatical mistakes or translated imperfections that may arise within their contribution.